A clinical exhibition of new-ball discipline and death-over execution from Rasikh Salam Dar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar headlined Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s commanding bowling effort as they dismissed Lucknow Super Giants for 146 in their IPL 2026 encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here today.
Rasikh was the standout performer, finishing with 4 for 24, and dictating the tempo across phases. He struck early to remove Aiden Markram before returning in the middle overs to outfox Ayush Badoni with a well-disguised slower delivery. His death-over execution proved decisive as he dismantled the lower order, bowling Mukul Choudhary with a fuller ball that breached his defence and eventually wrapping up the innings by castling Avesh Khan off the final delivery.
At the other end, Bhuvneshwar combined control with experience to return figures of 3 for 27. He maintained tight lines in the powerplay before striking crucial blows later, including the wicket of skipper Rishabh Pant. His 19th over tilted the contest firmly in Bengaluru’s favour, highlighted by a pinpoint yorker that uprooted Mohammed Shami and a forced error from George Linde, who was caught in the deep.
Amid the pace dominance, Krunal Pandya added a significant subplot by reaching a major personal milestone. The left-arm spinner brought up his 100th wicket in the Indian Premier League during the 11.2 over, joining an elite group of bowlers to achieve the feat in the tournament.
Krunal’s journey to the landmark reflects a method distinct from many of his contemporaries. In a format often dominated by wrist-spin and mystery variations, he has relied on control, subtle changes in pace and tactical awareness, particularly through the middle overs where matches are frequently decided. His ability to contain scoring while striking at key moments has made him a valuable asset across franchises.
The 100-wicket club features leading names such as Yuzvendra Chahal, Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla, alongside experienced campaigners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra. All-rounders such as Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel further underline the enduring value of finger spin in T20 cricket.
Reaching the milestone in 147 matches at an economy rate of 7.53, Krunal’s achievement highlights his consistency in a format heavily tilted towards batters. Having represented multiple franchises, he has often been entrusted with controlling the tempo and delivering timely breakthroughs — qualities that were again evident in this outing, where he removed Mitchell Marsh and Abdul Samad.
Together with disciplined spells from Josh Hazlewood, Bengaluru’s bowling unit ensured Lucknow never built sustained momentum despite contributions from Marsh (40), Badoni (38) and Choudhary (39).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru now require 147 runs to complete the job.
